Leverkusen Eyes Historic Unbeaten Treble In Europa League Final Showdown
Xabi Alonso is optimistic about Bayer Leverkusen's chances of making history in their Europa League final against Atalanta on Wednesday. Leverkusen recently became the first Bundesliga team to go unbeaten in a single season, securing the top-flight title. Across all competitions, they have remained undefeated in their last 51 matches. Now, they aim to complete an unbeaten treble by overcoming Atalanta before facing Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal on Saturday.
Only three teams have previously won the Europa League without losing a game: Chelsea in 2018-19, Villarreal in 2020-21, and Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021-22. Leverkusen hopes to join this elite group. Alonso, leading his first European final as a manager, emphasises the club's ambition to achieve something noteworthy.
Destination: Dublin
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"It would mean a lot to me [to win a European trophy]," Alonso told UEFA. "To share it with the people from the club and the fans would be significant. Winning a European title after so many years since our UEFA Cup victory in 1988 would be historic. We want to have a season written in golden letters, not only in our club's history but probably all European football."
Similarly, Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini is also leading his first European final. The Italian side secured a top-five finish in Serie A with their recent win over Lecce and are aiming for their first major trophy in 61 years. Reflecting on the season, Gasperini expressed pride in his team's efforts to reach their first European final.
In their first European final
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"It feels good," Gasperini said. "It's a great achievement and source of satisfaction, achieved with a really good season from this whole team. Is it the highest point of my career? Yes, in terms of accomplishment and prestige, absolutely."
Gasperini added that his team has always shown determination and hunger from the start. "Sometimes, you get teams who are good technically but lacking in determination and hunger. From the group stage, since we played in Lisbon against Sporting [CP], we played great matches against strong opponents. Winning at Anfield boosted our confidence even more."
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